Locs Can Be Deceiving
Many naturals are apprehensive about locing up because they think, PERMANENT! There is a misconception that once you commit to locs and decide you don't like it the only way out is to cut off all of your hair but here is the story of a young lady who removed her locs and discovered another side of her natural journey.
Her name is Chevon Barnes. She was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri and she was born with a full head of hair. With Chevon having type 3 hair and her mother having type 2 hair this made it difficult for her mother to take care of hair that was was more curly than her own. On wash day, it would take 3 hours to wash and dry her hair alone. So when you added her sister into the equation wash day would take 6 hours. At about the age of 8, her parents decided to put a relaxer in the two siblings hair and for Chevon that's the only thing she was familiar with until her adult life.
Chevon went natural in 2003 or 2004 while she was in college. Her hair journey started when she didn't understand that she was actually going on a journey. In her mind she didn't really know she was going natural because it wasn't a revolution at that time but she was tired of putting relaxers in her hair. She realized she could flat-iron her roots and still achieve the "relaxed" look.
Chevon says "I just came across wanting to save money and learning to do my hair myself, found out I could get the same look without a relaxer! I'm so happy I did, because I no longer have chemicals in my hair and head."
When she realized she was part of the Natural Hair Revolution she was interested in getting her hair locked. People told her she couldn't lock her hair because she still had relaxed ends but she remained optimistic. You always hear that women make a huge change in hair when they are going through a crisis and that's exactly what happened to Chevon.
"I had just lost my beloved father and I just needed a "New" me! I went to Studio 7 Salon and the owner Katie started my locking process by 2-stranding my hair. I had my locks for over 3 years."
The most memorable part of her hair journey was the transition in locking her hair. It was a somewhat difficult process. When people say you go through a process they are definitely correct. She felt as if she was going through an "ugly" stage because she was listening to what others were saying, but she finally embraced it and enjoyed her process. Due to her career she kept her hair pinned up for the the most part but she never understood why her locs weren't growing until she decided to comb them out.
"Honestly a lot of my family did not embrace my locs. All they've known were my very long and thick hair and thought it was pure beauty. My friends embraced my change, but when I combed out my locs, they ALL loved my luscious curls!! The look on their faces was priceless."
Chevon knew she didn't want to cut her hair and when a friend told her that she could get them combed out she was ecstatic. The only problem was finding someone to take the time without charge an outrageous price. She found out that her best friend's sister, who is like a sister to her, would take the locs down for a small fee. What they thought would take 2 days actually took four 10-hour days.
"My hair was so long! I hadn't had long hair like that since I was about 8 or 9 years old. The first thing I did was straighten it and you know what? She only cut 1 inch of my hair. Not putting stress on my locs, my hair never broke off nor did I have split ends!! I was so surprised because my locs weren't near the length that I combed out. I figured my hair was curling up and not down to give me the length. My new journey is getting to know the curls I never knew I had!!! 
Chevon loves everything about her hair. When she combed her dreads out and realized she had long thick coils about pencil wide she went crazy to find out more about her hair. This was all new to her. The person who has helped her a lot is MoKnowsHair.com, they went to college together she has taught Chevon so much about her hair.
"I don't know what I would've done without her and if I knew she did hair then, I would have let her school me then. Another Greatest is Curlbox!! If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't know what my hair needed!! I am now a JUNKIE!! I admit it, I know, but it's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I get excited when my box comes. Just this January, I am super excited for what is in my box!!"
Chevon's Hair Regimen
I deep condition my hair weekly!! That's a must!! My hair needs moisture!! I wash my hair with Moisture-riched shampoos. What I love now is the One 'n Only Argan Oil Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner. I shampoo my hair twice then put conditioner on my hair and sit under my Huetiful Hair Steamer!! It's the BEST THING IN WORLD!!
The steam opens the cuticle and put the nutrients inside the hair. It helps moisturize, gives your hair bounce and makes the hair SUPER healthy. Instead of sitting under a dryer for 30 minutes, the Huetiful Steamer ONLY takes 15 minutes. Once she rinses that out, She sprays Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer, Cream of Nature Argan Oil Perfect 7, Shea Moisture Frizz-fee Curl Mouse and Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner. The curls come out perfect.
Final words from Chevon Barnes:
If you are new to this, research your hair type. When you know your hair type, you will know what works good for your hair, understand what type of products to get and how to manage your hair. Know your porosity of your hair, how does your hair take in moisture, SUPER IMPORTANT!! Don't give up this journey, YouTube hairstyles for your Type of Hair, EMBRACE IT!!! There is so much help out here on the Internet, Blogs, YouTube, just take the time to get to know your hair. What I love most about my hair are my curls and the thickness of my hair. I love my BIG hair and to rock the BIG Hair!!!
Chevon can be reached via Email and Instagram for more information:
